Boris Johnson to set out England’s final Covid lockdown easing

Boris Johnson is expected to confirm later he is confident the majority of the remaining Covid restrictions in England can be lifted from 19 July.

Making face masks voluntary and ending the 1m-plus social distancing rule and QR code sign-ins at restaurants will be among the PM’s announcements.

He said people must “learn to live with this virus” and “exercise judgement”.

Infections are expected to rise when rules are eased but ministers believe deaths will be limited by vaccinations.

The fourth and final stage of the government’s roadmap out lockdown in England was delayed last month to no earlier than 19 July.

Among the restrictions currently in force are the “rule of six” for gatherings, table service in pubs and restaurants, capacity limits in theatres and cinemas, and the closure of nightclubs.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are in charge of their own coronavirus rules, and the Scottish government has suggested it may retain some basic measures, including wearing masks, at its next review in August.

The chairman of the British Medical Association, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, said it “makes no sense” to stop wearing face coverings in enclosed public spaces amid a rising number of cases of the Delta variant.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We know that face masks are proven to reduce spread of this infection” and “can’t understand why – at a time where there are ‘exceptional high levels of cases’ – we would knowingly want people to become infected”.

The Unite union said public transport workers will face even more risk of infection if face mask rules are dropped.

In comments released by Downing Street before the prime minister gives his update at a 17:00 BST news conference, Mr Johnson said he “must stress that the pandemic is not over and that cases will continue to rise over the coming weeks”.

Agencies